As it happened:Three towns ordered to evacuate; Melbourne suburbs on alert over rising Maribyrnong

Here’s a list of the latest emergency warnings published by the SES. We’ll update it over the course of the evening:

Click here for more information.

That’s all for this evening. Here is a wrap up of the major events of the day:

• Regional reporter Benjamin Preiss was on the ground in Rochester, one of three Victorian towns ordered to evacuate due to flooding. He wrote about how despite the orders, many residents are staying, including the local publican who didn’t have insurance. Click here for his story, which will be published in Friday’s newspaper.
• Three towns – Seymour, Rochester, Carisbrook – are all under evacuation orders after floodwater inundated homes and businesses.
• 42 Melbourne suburbs (including Footscray, Sunshine and Yarraville) have been put on alert after the Maribyrnong River started rising. Residents have been encouraged to seek higher ground, as the city braces for more rain and flash flooding.
• Castlemaine has been plunged into darkness, after flooding at the substation caused widespread blackouts. Thousands of people across the state have dealt with flood-related power outages.
• The Sydney-to-Melbourne line has been closed, as have a number of V/Lines, terminating the Shepparton, Seymour, Albury, Echuca and Swan Hill lines due to flood related impacts.
• Climate and energy correspondent Mike Foley reports Emergency Minister Murray Watt has called for a national discussion about reducing risks from increasing severe and frequent natural disasters. Read the full story here.

Thank you for joining us – and thank you for sending in your photos from the day (like the one below!) Stay safe everyone, and remember – no driving through floodwaters.

Readers from Colbinabbin, in central Victoria, on Thursday afternoon. Credit: Hannah Price

The Merri Creek in Melbourne is currently at 2.38 metres and is expected to experience minor flooding at 2.9 metres later this evening. Around Northcote, it’s currently at 2.52 metres, with flooding expected to affect low-lying areas.

The following suburbs have been told to monitor local conditions and remain alert: Beveridge, Brunswick, Brunswick East, Campbellfield, Clifton Hill, Coburg, Coburg East, Coburg North, Craigieburn, Dallas, Donnybrook, Fawkner, Hadfield, Heathcote Junction, Kalkallo, Merriang, Mickleham, Northcote, Preston, Somerton, Thomastown, Thornbury, Wallan, Wallan East, Abbotsford, Broadmeadows, Bylands, Coolaroo, Epping, Fairfield, Fitzroy North, Glenroy, Kew, Lalor, Pascoe Vale, Reservoir, Roxburgh Park, Upper Plenty, Wandong, Wollert, Yuroke.

The Bureau of Meteorology updated the major flood warning list around 9.40pm. The Avoca and Werribee rivers have been added to the list put out about 5pm that we used to produce the map below.

• Avoca River
• Campaspe River
• Goulburn River
• Loddon River
• Maribyrnong River
• Ovens and King Rivers
• Seven and Castle Creeks
• Werribee River
• Mt Emu Creek

Click here for more info.

The Age’s head of audio and visual Tom McKendrick has spliced together the video highlights from today. See all the mind-boggling flood shoots here from across the state:

Emergency services officers have gone from door to door in Rochester to see if people are evacuating as per the SES recommendation.

Age photographer Justin McManus has captured an emergency worker speaking with local Murray Phipps who was just about to evacuate.

The SES has issued a major flood warning for the Maribyrnong River, encouraging residents in the following suburbs to seek higher ground:

• Aberfeldie
• Airport West
• Ascot Vale
• Avondale Heights
• Braybrook
• Calder Park
• Essendon
• Essendon Fields
• Essendon North
• Essendon West
• Flemington
• Footscray
• Kealba
• Keilor
• Keilor Downs
• Keilor East
• Keilor Lodge
• Keilor North
• Keilor Park
• Kensington
• Maidstone
• Maribyrnong
• Niddrie
• Sunshine North
• Sydenham
• Sydenham Park
• Taylors Lakes
• Tullamarine
• Gladstone Park
• Hillside
• Melbourne Airport
• Moonee Ponds
• Plumpton
• Seddon
• St Albans
• Strathmore Heights
• Sunshine
• Taylors Hill
• West Footscray
• Westmeadows
• West Melbourne
• Yarraville

The SES has issued a ‘Watch & Act’ message for Violet Town.

• Honeysuckle Creek at Violet Town is likely to reach flood level similar to October 1993.
• There will be extensive inundation through Violet Town on Thursday night due to overflows from Honeysuckle Creek and Lambing Gunyah Creek.

“Act now - take actions immediately to protect your life and property, and move to higher ground,” the SES said.

The SES said Violet Town flooding may be similar to 1993, which resulted in:

• Most of the town being affected, with floodwater coming from from Honeysuckle and Lambing Gunyah creeks.
• Forty houses between Murray Street and High Street flooded to 1.2 metres deep.
• Eighteen people being evacuated.
• The Catholic Church, Masonic Hall, nine businesses and the Bush Nursing Centre affected.
• Water spilled over the railway line into Railway Street, Cowslip Street and Lily Street.

A photographer from Bendigo has posted the below video of a creek near Rosalind Park showing rising river levels.

Victoria is on high alert as a severe weather warning covers the state.

The weather bureau’s radar shows heavy falls over Melbourne on Thursday evening.Credit: Bureau of Meteorology

Thank you for sharing your photos of the floods. Click below to see what we received:

Keep them coming: